The goal of this grant application is to establish the KBRIN, which will consist of a collaborative network of statewide institutions of higher education. The purpose of the network is to enhance the infrastructure, capacity and training in areas relevant to the mission of NIH so that Kentucky institutions can more fully participate in the competition for NIH awards. UL and the University of Kentucky (UK) will lead the consortium of 13 Kentucky universities and colleges in the KBRIN activities. To initiate the development of this network, there is an agreed upon focus area that will require new investment of capital and resources. This will be gene-based research, and the related new tools and technology referred to here as bioinformatics. The Specific Aims of the application are to: 1) develop the capacity for basic biomedical research of the member institutions; 2) build the infrastructure needed for gene-based research and bioinformatics at the member institutions; 3) promote the education of Kentucky undergraduate students in the areas of gene-based research and bioinformatics technology; and 4) provide support for Kentucky graduate programs in biomedical research. The support requested in this application is for the development of core and networking infrastructure as well as research, mentoring, training and education. This support will stimulate increased capacity for research and lead to some critical changes in mentoring and training. Importantly, the support will lead to the establishment of a strong consortium of administrators, researchers and educators who will be in a better position to lead future statewide initiatives with a focus in biomedical research and training. This new collective focus will enable Kentucky to target its limited resources into productive areas. Kentucky universities and colleges will be able to more fully participate in the competition for National Institutes of Health (NIH) awards and to attain enhanced stature for their training and education programs in the basic biomedical sciences.